


Everything Went Better Than Expected

by writers_haven



Series: Rintori Week Summer 2014 [1]
Category: Free!
Genre: Day 1: Locker Room, I just realised that I wrote them before I had an AO3 account, I'll compile my stuff here, M/M, Rintori Week Summer 2014, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, also the samezuka swim club being meddling idiots, and I quite like a lot of them so, yes I'm only now posting these here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-07
Updated: 2016-04-07
Packaged: 2018-05-31 18:06:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6481327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writers_haven/pseuds/writers_haven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rin hates Thursdays in the locker room, he really does. </p><p>  <i>Every Thursday, Ai rushes off early to get to a tutor session.</i></p><p>  <i>And every Thursday, once the door has closed behind him, the swim team turns to Rin with predatory grins.</i></p><p>  <i>“What’s going on?” Sousuke murmurs to him, frowning. It’s his first week, he’s never seen this happen before. But, oh, Sousuke will definitely get a kick out of it, because Rin’s friends? They’re all dicks.</i></p><p>  <i>Except Ai. He’s an angel.</i></p><p>  <i>Rin sighs. This is the reason he’s in this mess.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Everything Went Better Than Expected

It’s not that Rin hates the swim team, because he really doesn’t. All the guys are nice and friendly and helpful; even when Rin first joined the team, up to his eyebrows in anger and fear and ferocity, they’d made an effort to make him feel welcome.

Now that Rin’s over most of his issues and leading these guys as their captain, he’s been determined to make it up to them by being the best captain he can possibly be. So far, Rin’s thinks he’s done okay; all he does, really, is keep an eye on his team, making sure they’re not daydreaming during practice or trying to swim with an injury, but he also makes sure they’re happy and healthy. He’s already told Yashida off for overworking himself– and then had Yashida cry on his shoulder about how he feels like he’ll never be as good as the rest of the team because he’s only just started swimming competitively. Rin had given an awkward speech about everyone moving at their own pace and reminded the kid that he’d shaved off a good thirty seconds from his time in only two months. By the time Yashida left, Rin had managed to get a watery smile and a promise not to overtrain out of him.

(“I hope he’ll be okay,” Rin worried the next day over lunch, when he was finished relating the tale to Ai. “Doesn’t he know how dangerous overtraining is?”

Ai snorted in laughter. “That’s what I told you last year,” he said wryly, kicking Rin’s foot lightly under the table, “but did you listen to me?”

Rin scoffed. “Shut up,” he grumbled, and threw a slice of ginger at Ai’s head.)

So, yes, Rin likes the swim team, respects them, cares about them.

What he hates is Thursday locker room talk.

Oh, it’s all fun and games when they’re fresh from the pool and piling into the showers, ribbing Kishimoto about spending ten minutes freaking out only to find his goggles on his head. It’s all fine when they’re using shampoo to make stupid shapes in their hair and making fun of the permanent marker dick drawing on Noshinoya’s lower back, put there by a mischievous brother.

No, what Rin hates are Thursdays in the locker room, when they’re drying off and changing.

Every Thursday, Ai rushes off early to get to a tutor session.

And every Thursday, once the door has closed behind him, the swim team turns to Rin with predatory grins.

“What’s going on?” Sousuke murmurs to him, frowning. It’s his first week, he’s never seen this happen before. But, oh, Sousuke will definitely get a kick out of it, because Rin’s friends? They’re all dicks.

Except Ai. He’s an angel.

Rin sighs. This is the reason he’s in this mess.

“So, buchou,” Hoshino says casually. “Have you finally said anything?”

“Obviously not,” Noshinoya snorts, a hand on his hip. “Otherwise we’d be sick from all the cuteness.”

“I’m sick from all the pining going on,” Kishimoto chimes in. “Buchou, you should just tell him. Don’t be afraid!”

“Don’t pressure him,” Yashida defends Rin, frowning. “Everyone moves at their own pace, right, buchou?”

“Buchou isn’t moving, he’s remaining stationary,” Hoshino argues. “Though I can’t fathom why, because obviously they’re head over heels for each other. Ask him out, buchou!”

Rin groans. Sousuke, beside him, had started out with a bewildered look on his face, but now he seems more and more amused with every word.

“All of you guys,” Rin declares, “suck.”

“You should be the one doing the sucking,” Kishimoto retorts.

“Look,” Rin starts, temper flaring. “It is none of your goddamn business who I like!” He glares at them, because he is their _captain_ and he will be shown respect by his team, goddamn it.

Unfortunately, the team has somehow ceased to be afraid of him. “So you admit you like him?” Hoshino persists, raising an eyebrow.

Rin huffs. He misses the days he could send people scattering with a glint of his teeth. “Like I said,” he grumbles, buttoning his shirt viciously, “it’s none of your business.”

“It _becomes_ our business when our captain spends half the time pining for his best friend and the other half not noticing his best friend pining for him,” says Noshinoya, crossing his arms.

“I am not _pining_ for Ai!” Rin spits fiercely, and of course that is the moment the door swings open and Ai’s silvery head pops in. The swim team turns to the boy with surprised, guilty expressions. Rin gapes, eyes wide as he fights down a blush, and wishes for the ground to swallow him, because _how is this his life?_

“Ah, good, you’re still here, Rin-senpai,” Ai says, with a relieved smile, coming in and closing the door behind him. He doesn’t seem to have heard Rin’s declaration, at least, so that’s something. Rin says a quick prayer to a god he doesn’t quite believe in.

“I-I thought you had a tutor session?” Yashida asks as casually as he can while the rest of the team pretends to be busy changing and not eavesdropping.

“Oh, yes,” Ai replies cheerily, “I forgot it was cancelled this week, Hanamura-sensei is out sick.” He turns to Rin with a blinding grin. “So I thought we could go straight to the ice cream parlour instead of making you wait for me?”

Rin fails to stop the blush that spreads across his face. Kishimoto and Yashida stare at him, slack-jawed; Hoshino sends him a sly grin and mouths _good job_. Noshinoya looks mostly annoyed, crossing his arms and frowning at Rin.

“Yeah, sounds good,” Rin mumbles, resolutely avoiding everyone else’s gaze, because it’s not what they think, it’s not a _date_. It’s a thing they do, him and Ai and now Sousuke, to hang out after school at the ice cream parlour on Discount Thursdays (because Ai has a sweet tooth and _not_ because Rin loves the dark chocolate gelato they have there, though Rin’s pretty sure neither of his best friends believe him). It’s not a date. They’re just friends.

…Even if Rin wants to be more than that. Doesn’t change a thing.

“Yamazaki-senpai, are you coming?” Ai asks, tilting his head adorably.

Sousuke glances at Rin slyly. “No,” he says, with a fake-ass sigh of regret, “I have a History project to work on tonight. You kids have fun without me.”

Rin scowls because the bastard finished his stupid project _weeks_ ago. _Why are you doing this,_ he thinks aggressively at Sousuke.

Sousuke just raises an eyebrow. “Rin has something he wants to tell you anyway,” is all he says, with a pointed look at Rin, then slings his bag over his shoulder and leaves.

Rin has never wanted to kill him more than in this very moment.

Ai blinks and gives Rin a curious look. Rin rubs the back of his neck awkwardly and says, “Let me buy you a sundae first,” because he is _not_ about to confess in the middle of a locker room full of meddling, eavesdropping assholes.

Ai positively sparkles. “Okay, senpai, but it’s my turn next week!”

Privately, Rin thinks Ai’s hopeful grin is the cutest thing ever. Noshinoya mimes gagging behind Ai’s back; the rest of the team are busy high-fiving and fist-bumping and cheering enthusiastically. “Yeah, buchou, get some,” Kishimoto hoots, and snaps a towel at Rin’s ass.

Rin can’t help his jolt of surprise or the yelp it pulls out of him, but glares as hard as he can and flips Kishimoto the bird. Ai, meanwhile, has gone an inexplicably attractive shade of red, but knows better than to say anything that might get the guys started on him. Instead, he examines an apparently fascinating crack in the ground until Rin finishes shoving his shit into his bag, then they both make a hasty retreat, ignoring the catcalls and kissy sounds the team make behind them.

“S-Sorry about that,” Ai mumbles a short while later, still blushing faintly and refusing to meet Rin’s eyes as they walk just a little too close to each other (as always).

“What for?” Rin asks, a little distracted by the brush of Ai’s hand against his own. “S’not your fault our team’s full of nosy bastards.”

“Y-Yeah, but…” Ai trails off, obviously still blaming himself somehow, so Rin smiles and nudges the smaller boy lightly. “Don’t worry about it,” he says, then hesitates.

Fuck it, Rin decides.

“Besides,” he continues, trying to ignore his racing pulse as he keeps his eyes fixed on the horizon, “it’s not like they were totally wrong.”

Ai turns to him at that, eyes wide and cheeks flushed. “W-What do you mean, senpai?” he stutters.

Rin doesn’t let himself overthink it, just goes with his instinct and grabs Ai’s hand, lacing their fingers together.

Ai gasps, and goes even redder, staring at their intertwined fingers in awe. For a long moment Rin thinks he’s just made a mistake, and is just about to pull away when Ai gives his hand a light, hesitant squeeze. Rin squeezes back a little stronger, and can’t help but smile when Ai looks just as dazed and besotted as Rin feels.

The dark chocolate gelato tastes extra sweet today, but Rin finds he doesn’t mind.

**Author's Note:**

> Day 1: Locker Room
> 
> Moving these old Rintori Week pieces over here because I got a comment on Teammate asking for more Rintori fics, and I realised I only have two of them here on AO3. I quite like my Rintori Week entries, so I figured I'd put them up here, where they're much easier to find.
> 
> This one was, for some reason, the most popular out of my five Rintori Week entries? It was also the birthplace of my Samezuka Swim Club OCs, huhu.
> 
> ( [writing blog](http://haven-writes.tumblr.com) | [original post](http://writers-haven.tumblr.com/post/93504927373/rintori-week-day-one) )


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